


Fondness of a Blizzard

by Lonewritersclub



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Batjokes, Evaluation, Fluff, For my floors with water damage, Handcuffs, Just fluff for all of us, M/M, Sounds sneaky but no, but btw I love Jim, petnames, seriously my water pipes just broke, shit shit shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-04 01:24:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12760266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lonewritersclub/pseuds/Lonewritersclub
Summary: Bruce is cradling his head in his lap. Joker is sleeping. Bruce listens absentmindedly to his quiet murmurs of vengeance and blue ice creams with sprinkles. Every once in a while the clown tugs at his hands and metal clinks together to create a pitiful, clear sound that rings in Bruce's ears for longer than it should.





	Fondness of a Blizzard

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, you guys might want smut, well TOO BAD! You're on Jesus camp now 'cause all you're getting is FLUFF FLUFF AND MORE FLUFF!  
> No, no, I'll get to finishing the second chapter for "PPPP" any time now. But can I complain now for a little while, because I finished this one today at morning but then I pressed the wrong key and suddenly it was all gone and god dammit, the first version was so much better than this one, I gotta admit. So sorry about that. Hopefully there's still something here worth reading.

Bruce is cradling his head in his lap.

The news are on the TV but on silent. Joker is sleeping. Bruce listens absentmindedly to his quiet murmurs of vengeance and blue ice creams with sprinkles.

Every once in a while the clown tugs at his hands and metal clinks together to create a pitiful, clear sound that rings in Bruce's ears for longer than it should.

Nygma's on the loose again. Bruce is going to have to search into his whereabouts before he takes off tonight at nightfall. He reckons it won't take too long, Ed certainly didn't look all that well the last time he saw him in Arkham. In fact it must have been the day he hauled Ivy back there. Yes, Riddler had been wallowing in his misery on a dirty floor that was covered in green question marks. It was a miserable sight to behold. 

Another clink of handcuffs brings Bruce back to earth. Joker's waking up. When he looks down, two piercing green eyes are staring back at him. The clown looks bemused with a little grin tugging at his red lips.

Bruce smiles down at him and brushes his thumb across a sharp white cheekbone and goes back to watching the news. He hears the man in his arms grumble. It seems like nothing more major is going on. The usual lowlife business is flourishing as always but nothing too critical. Batman will make sure to intimidate them, too, of course. He will shoo them back into their dark little holes and crannies of the Narrows and keep everyone out of harm's way. Thugs love being scared of him - it lends them a day off.

A third clink.

The clown whines in need of attention with his bottom lip tucked between his teeth so Bruce picks him up in his arms for him to sit on his lap and turns his gaze back to meet his. Joker smiles contently and rests himself against Bruce's broad chest.

"I'm going out tonight. Ed's running around the city again. I think the others will soon follow unless I take him down and straight back to the asylum", Bruce tells him and tucks a few loose strands of green hair behind Joker's ear that aren't long enough to be tied into his little bun.

"Yes, you'd better do that, Brucie. Can't let the other crazies think they can just escape without any consequences for their actions. Their terrible, terrible actions", Joker trembles his voice at the word "terrible" ironically while smiling at Bruce a sincere manner.

Bruce scowls at him slightly. Joker sighs out and glances out the tall penthouse windows.

"Has it ever crossed your mind perhaps, Batsy, that maybe they all keep on escaping because it's simply just too awful to stay in the looney bin? Because I know from experience that they barely know how to boil water, let alone cure mental illnesses", Joker says and turns to look back at Bruce. "I mean, in case you remember, that is why you brought me here in the first place, was it not?"

Bruce lowers his gaze to the floor feeling a tinge of guilt at the comprehension of Joker's words.

"I'm doing my best. I've donated God know's how much into that facility but the bureaucracy and corruption is impossible", he responds although he knows himself that it's not a satisfactory answer.

"Maybe you're going about it the wrong way. Maybe you should just build your own hospital or join the board", the clown proposes and honestly what he's saying doesn't sound at all that crazy.

"Honestly, I don't really care what happens to that God forsaken place but if it means that you'll spend more nights with me instead of some sleazy thugs you're beating to a pulp on the street - as much as the sole thought of it excites me and keeps me company on those lonely, lonely nights in bed - I'd like you to give it some thought, Bats."

Bruce considers it, amazed by how collected and stable Joker sounds today despite the stress of having to see Commissioner Gordon in just a few minutes for his check-up. Bruce smiles at him fondly. "I'll talk to Lucius about it in the morning."

Joker gives him a smooch on the cheek that Bruce will have to clean up before Gordon gets there.

Then there's the doorbell rings and they can hear Alfred welcoming him in. Bruce quickly rubs his hand over the lipstick mark and Joker laughs shrill and amused. He licks his fingers and helps Bruce out.

"Okay, okay, it's off now. You're good", Joker says and jumps off from his lap. Bruce stands up sighing out of relief just as the Commissioner gets into the living room. They immediately shake hands and greet each other formally although a hell of a lot of shared trauma filled events are behind them.

"Good to see you Bruce", Jim says and looks over to the clown happily sitting on the couch in handcuffs and Bruce notices traces of worry on his aged face.

"You too. How have things been holding up at the GCPD?" Bruce inquires casually and leads him to sit in the armchair opposite to the couch where he takes himself a seat beside Joker - though leaving a fair amount of space between them.

"Fine, fine. Just those damn lunatics keep breaking out of Arkham. But no worries there, we'll get them back in there and in the end we'll make sure they can never break out like that again", he mutters out. Bruce sympathizes with him immensely knowing how it is from experience.

Jim looks tense and out of place being around Bruce's expensive clean, white furniture, not to mention having to face a cuffed smiley Joker, but as soon as his eyes lie on Bruce's calm and eased attitude, you can see the strain leave his face and his mustaches follow into their usual arch upon his lips. The rests his hands on the folded trenchcoat on his lap and leans forward for their conversation.

"Oh, damn those freaky bastards! They can never seem to stay in line!" Joker chips into the conversation with feigned ferocity in his voice but then quickly flips it back to smooth and suave. "It's good seeing you, Commish! It's been too _long_ since last time", he adds with a wide smile. Bruce scolds at him by looking over his shoulder to him. He needs to keep himself calm for this meeting or otherwise it's  _bye bye_  to french toast and marmite in the mornings and TV with Bruce in the afternoon.

Gordon looks warily at Joker again and twists his lips. "Right", he eventually just states and pushes his rectangular glasses farther up the bridge of his nose.

"Why don't we get straight down to business now. We wouldn't want to waste your time too much on this, seeing everything has been actually quite fine ever since the whole debacle at the manor. Things have quieted down pretty much after that."

"Really?" Gordon says amazed.

"Yes, I think it must have been the medication being insufficient at the time and the sudden media frenzy just piling more stress on him."

"Oh, yes, yes. I was very _stressed_ at the time. It was just terrible, and those little white pills they prescribed me must have been just sugar cubes, 'cause I gotta tell you Jim, I didn't feel a thing!" Joker retorts already badmouthing the doctors. Bruce wants to sigh.

"But everything is under control now? No more bursts of... violent altercations or anything like that?" Gordon asks suspiciously with his brows furrowed. Bruce goes to answer but -

"Oh good no! None of that anymore. I'm all about meditation and green slushy veggy juices now! Just ask Brucie here", Joker says shaking his head to Gordon's question, and then pats Bruce's shoulder with his tied up hands in a friendly way though it probably came out more as intruding in an outsider's eyes.

Jim looks at Bruce taken aback and he doesn't seem sure about what to believe but Bruce can only shrug at him. He doesn't really think it would be for the best if he told Gordon that what the Joker mostly means by his mediation is battling it out with Batman in the Batcave then and again to release his pent-up tension. Not to mention it was Bruce's idea. And it definitely wouldn't be practical to let either of them of them know that fighting with Joker is in fact quite practical for Bruce, too, because it helps him train efficiently and more effectively. After all, Bruce has to admit that Joker could be quite the opponent when he wanted to.

But Joker did do some more conventional styled meditation as well. Bruce couldn't deny that he appreciated the downward facing dog the most when he rolled out of bed to the view of Joker doing yoga in front of the windows with the beams of the rising sun warming up his pale skin.

"Things have been stable", Bruce eventually just concludes as the silence stretches out.

“Well, that’s all I wanted to hear. Do you have the medical evaluation somewhere?” he requests while already beginning to stand up which Bruce follows suit.

“Yes, I have it right here”, Bruce says and reaches for the sidetable where the file lies and offers it to Gordon. He takes a look at Joker’s psychiatrist’s papers and hums. It seems like he’s satisfied with that so Bruce thinks the visit is coming to an end.

“So, is there anything else you’d like to ask?”

Gordon looks up at him and shuts the file putting it under his arm and that rare gentle smile of his graces his face. “No, I think we’re done here. I’ll be back in two months again but if anything comes up before that, you can just call me any time”, he tells Bruce. And then he looks at Joker again and tries his best that his smile wouldn’t falter. After all, he’s aware of Joker recovery program which states that people should try and treat him equally to others to enhance his feelings of being accepted and forgiven – though hardly anyone could ever truly forgive him for the things he’s done.

But Bruce acknowledges Gordon’s efforts and really appreciates it. Jim is a good man.

“And next time you can leave the cuffs off”, he adds and that earns Jim the biggest smile out of the clown that makes one fear his face might just split apart from the strain. But Joker looks absolutely giddy and smitten with him. Bruce worries he might not even be able to sit still which he _needs_ to - it's the protocol for their meetings. One mistake and you're out.

“We’ll see you then”, Bruce says with warm smile as Jim starts taking his leave. Bruce escorts him to the front doors where Alfred is already waiting with a polite expression if not slightly amused by having overheard some of their conversation.

They bid their goodbyes.

As Gordon steps into the private elevator with the fine wooden interior design, he manages to hear Joker’s happy laughter be wafted from the living room alongside a sneaky quip: “- oh good old Jimmy!” and then just before the doors close in front of his face, he hears Bruce shush him in return with a cheerful voice that has long gone unheard which almost startles Jim. And then:

“Shh.. Not on the _table_ Jay!”

Jim almost drops the Joker’s medical file to the floor. It would be an understatement to say that he feels dumbfounded. But more than that, the whole meeting just leaves him wondering. 

Gordon wonders as he walks through the marble covered lobby with his footsteps echoing in the vast space. He wonders as he waves goodbye to the doorman nonchalantly.

Jim wonders how a billionaire (former-)playboy like Bruce Wayne could live with a former murderous clown villain like the Joker? How could a boy like Bruce could win over a clown like the Joker and make him stay on the right track of the law?

Jim wonders if there’s something in them they complete in each other, something that makes them call each other by petnames and be able to feel eased around each other. If there’s something that allows them to be able to stand each other and to, in fact, find comfort there?

But how could someone like Bruce accept a man like the Joker so easily? Well, maybe he's just a good person. In that case, he would better than most of them. However, his strange affection for the clown seems to run deeper than Gordon can really see and a part of that worries him while the other one soothes his concerns. The clown returns that affection with fondness and loyalty which seems to be the most effective way to keep him from doing no-good. But then what could it be about Bruce Wayne that made the Joker out of all the villains turn to the “good side” after all this time? Is Bruce Wayne simply the only one for the clown?

Gordon looks outside through the large glass panes of the lobby and shrugs on his trenchcoat with grumble.

Jim wonders if maybe it's not even that far of a stretch for the clown. Maybe it's more like putting down a guard and letting the wind play with your hair.

Or maybe a blizzard actually, Jim wonders on second thoughts, as he walks out into the snowy storm of Gotham's pale afternoon.

 


End file.
